Vegan brazil nut burger

Try this for a burger which is bursting with nuts, seared and crispy on the outside with a flavour packed moist centre.

Makes 10 to 12 burgers

Ingredients;

300g puy lentils

300g Brazil nuts

40g olive oil

1 tablespoon Ras el hanout spice mix/ or ground cumin

2 medium shallots, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, fine chopped

200g medium texture tofu

150g drained sun-blushed tomatoes, very finely chopped

50g gram/chickpea flour

2 large sprigs rosemary, very finely chopped

Fine sea salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

Rinse the puy lentils, then place them in a pan of boiling water, simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes to deliberately overcook the lentils, this will help with the burger texture. Rinse the lentils thoroughly, shake away any excess water and leave in a sieve to fully drain.

Baste the Brazil nuts with half the olive oil, the Ras el hanout spice mix and season, place on a baking tray and roast at !80 degrees C for 10 to 12 minutes, until just taking colour, remove and allow to cool.

Place a small pan on a medium heat, add the remaining olive oil and the fine shallots, fry for 4 minutes until the shallots are translucent, add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Blitz the roast Brazil nuts in a food processor until they are a like a rough breadcrumb consistency.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together thoroughly by hand and season well with fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Ideally allow to stand in the fridge for an hour before shaping and cooking. The mix keeps well for at least 4 days in the fridge.